Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 205: Unexpected Improvement (II)
"Brother, don't you feel like something's really wrong with that guy?" said Lai Chang. He studied Lin Zheyu from afar, unable to shake the sense that something was off about him.
"Mm. I sensed the fluctuation of his blood qi. His ability to conceal his aura used to be flawless, so this wasn’t possible before. If I can feel it now, then either he's doing it on purpose or he can no longer control it," Lai Mao said calmly.
Even when he returned from pushing past his limits before, Lin Zheyu had always used the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to hide his aura, ensuring no one could discern his true condition. But tonight, due to his severe spiritual exhaustion, most of his vitality was focused on maintaining his facial disguise, which caused flaws in the method's operation. Thin wisps of blood qi leaked from his body. Unless someone's cultivation far surpassed his own, they could only sense the blood qi drifting from him, and not his true strength.
"Heh. Looks like his cultivation technique really went wrong, so he can barely keep it under control now. Giant Python Stronghold is just ahead. Who knows, he might die there before we even have to lift a finger," Lai Chang chuckled. His eyes rolled slyly as he glanced at Liang Yunhui and her daughter Liang Yuhan in the distance, his expression faintly lecherous.
"Go rest first. I'll take the watch tonight," Lai Mao said evenly.
***
After finishing the roasted meat, Lin Zheyu didn't return to the wagon. With his senses dulled from mental exhaustion, it was far too dangerous to sleep inside. Instead, he sat cross-legged by the campfire to rest. Little Black usually stayed near the flames all night, either roasting meat or playing with fire. Staying close to it meant having an extra watchful companion nearby, making it much safer.
"Little Black, you're not allowed to wander off tonight. Understood?" Lin Zheyu instructed sternly.
Chirp, chirp.
Little Black chirped twice without even turning its head, too absorbed in its roasting. Over the past month, it had eaten to bursting every night and slept through the days, growing noticeably rounder. Liang Yunhui had already gone to sleep in the wagon, while Liang Yuhan came to the fire, sword in hand, keeping a vigilant watch of their surroundings.
The cold wind howled through the night. The rain had stopped, but the chill never relented. The biting wind struck Lin Zheyu's face, bringing a touch of coolness to his aching head.
Supreme Star above, respond without cease; repel evil, bind demons; protect life and body; let wisdom shine, let mind find peace... Silently reciting the Mind Purifying Chant, Lin Zheyu circulated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method. His spirit gradually became tranquil and clear.
Time passed slowly. The night deepened, and Liang Yuhan stayed awake the entire time, standing guard beside the fire. Little Black spent the night roasting meat; when the game was gone, it darted into the forest again and soon returned carrying another beast to roast.
"Little Black, your belly's all round again," Liang Yunhui said with a laugh, rubbing its soft stomach. Without Lin Zheyu's restraint, she could only pet the creature in the mornings, when it was lying on its back, too full to move.
"Uncle Zhao's still not awake. Mother, do you think something's wrong with him? He looked really tired last night," Liang Yunhui whispered as she leaned close to her mother.
"It's nothing," Liang Yuhan said calmly. Though she had kept watch through the night, martial artists possessed vigorous vitality, and she showed no sign of fatigue.
"All eight of you, listen up. Ahead lies the Giant Python Stronghold. Its strength and ferocity are well-known. If you wish to pass safely, it'll cost you. Each person must pay 50 taels of silver. Our escort agency will handle negotiations and ensure your safe passage. If you don't pay, then you'll have to deal with it yourselves," a man from the Guangxuan Escort Agency announced loudly as he approached.
His booming voice startled awake those who were still asleep.
"50 taels of silver? That's outrageous!"
"Damn it, 50 taels of silver? That's robbery. I'm not paying!"
"Yunhui, pay them."
***
Only these eight had to pay the 50 taels of silver. Those who had already paid 700 taels of silver for the full service package only needed to pay 10. Among the eight, reactions varied; most paid the 50 taels of silver without complaint, but three refused, including Lei Chuangcheng and his companions. Paying now meant they might still have to pay more later if stronger bandits appeared. By the end of the journey, the total cost could well exceed 700 taels of silver.
The three, confident in their strength, had no intention of paying. Money didn't grow on trees, after all. Ordinary people had to plan their spending carefully. For martial artists, earning money was easy, but spending it was even easier. The cost of the daily medicinal baths and tonics for cultivation alone consumed a significant amount of silver.
Among martial artists from esteemed families, those at the Blood Qi Realm took at least one tonic decoction every day. The poorer ones without backing could only afford one every three or four days. And that was just the tonics; there were also medicinal baths, salves, and other costly essentials. The expenses were staggering. Most ordinary martial artists spent everything they earned and could hardly save any silver unless they were those whose blood qi was already declining and had given up on advancement.
But even those martial artists couldn't save much. Unable to progress further in martial cultivation, they still had to buy large quantities of supplements and rare medicines to maintain their strength and prolong their lives. In the end, they too remained poor. In short, most martial artists, like ordinary people, were far from wealthy.
***
Morning mist veiled the mountain forest. Hearing the noise around him, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes.
"Mmh~!"
He stretched lazily, letting out a soft hum as he stood up.
After a night's rest, his spirit had recovered considerably. The pain in his head had lessened, though it still felt worse than a migraine. He could endure it, though, so it wasn't a serious problem anymore.
"Uncle Zhao, up ahead is the infamous Giant Python Stronghold. The escort agency says we need to pay 50 taels of silver so they can negotiate safe passage for us. We've already paid. Will you be paying too?" Liang Yunhui came over to explain the situation.
"All right," replied Lin Zheyu with a nod.
50 taels of silver wasn't much; it was just a small expense. Spending a bit to avoid unnecessary danger was a good deal in his eyes. Lin Zheyu didn't like fighting; he considered himself a peace-loving, kind-hearted man.
"Here's 5 taels of gold. My name is Zhao Hao," Lin Zheyu said as he walked up to the burly man from the Guangxuan Escort Agency and handed him the payment.
"Hey, I know you," the burly man said, accepting the gold and giving Lin Zheyu a curious look.
He hesitated a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Kid, did something go wrong with your cultivation? You didn't seem quite right last night."
He had noticed Lin Zheyu the night before as well. With a sentient beast like Little Black at his side, it was hard not to.
"It's fine; it was nothing serious," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.
"You don't look like someone short on money. If you add another 600 taels of silver, we'll ensure your safety. Even if something really went wrong with your cultivation, no one would dare lay a hand on you," the burly man suggested.
"No need, but thank you," Lin Zheyu said, shaking his head and declining the man's offer.
Although he was suffering from spiritual exhaustion, his physique was still at its peak. He could no longer perform intricate movement techniques with perfect precision, which might lead to small errors in combat, but his control over his blood qi remained formidable. Even weakened, his mastery was enough for straightforward maneuvers. If it came to a simple straight-line escape, he could still manage easily.
Once he activated the Golden Goose Technique, which amplified his blood qi sixfold, only a Marrow Refining Realm expert skilled in leg techniques could hope to catch him. Combined with his potent medicinal decoctions and 22 units of Origin Force, endurance was the least of his worries. If even he found himself in mortal danger, the Guangxuan Escort Agency's people would likely already be suffering heavy losses by then and would be too busy saving themselves to protect anyone else.
"As you wish. But when danger comes and you change your mind, it'll be too late to ask for our protection," the burly man said with a chuckle before returning to the Guangxuan Escort Agency's ranks.
After handing over the gold, Lin Zheyu started toward his Ox Horse cart. Halfway there, his brows furrowed as he caught sight of Lai Chang grinning slyly at him from the side. When their eyes met, Lai Chang even smiled and nodded.
I'll find an opportunity to get rid of him. That face of his really makes me uncomfortable, Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
Lai Chang had been eyeing Liang Yuhan and Liang Yunhui for some time, though he hadn't made a move yet. They had been following the Guangxuan Escort Agency's convoy closely without ever straying far, leaving Lin Zheyu no good chance to act. Returning to his Ox Horse cart, he lifted the sleeping Little Black and placed it inside the wagon.
"Go get some rest. I'll keep watch from here," Lin Zheyu said to Liang Yuhan.
His spirit had recovered considerably; the worst of it had passed. It was daytime now, so it was far safer. Anything unusual would be much easier to detect.
"Alright," Liang Yuhan replied curtly. Yet when she returned to their Ox Horse cart, she didn't go inside. Instead, she sat outside with Liang Yunhui, driving the animals together.
Seeing this, Lin Zheyu didn't try to persuade her further. He chuckled softly and returned to his own cart.
Creak.
The convoy began to move again, the rolling wheels creaking rhythmically against the ground.
Seated outside the wagon, Lin Zheyu let the cold wind brush against him as he assessed his physical condition. After last night's severe mental drain, he hadn't had the chance to fully examine his body post-enhancement. Now that he'd recovered somewhat, he finally took the time to do so.
After a while, a look of realization surfaced on his face.
"As expected, the purity of my blood qi has increased significantly. What an unexpected gain. I didn't think the Boiling Blood Secret Art could actually serve as a method to refine blood qi," Lin Zheyu murmured with a wry smile.
He hadn't expected this at all. When the Boiling Blood Secret Art was activated, essence, qi, and spirit burned fiercely, awakening the body's latent potential and forcing out a vast surge of blood qi. Under the art's effect, the blood qi coursed through every meridian, refined by the burning of essence, qi, and spirit into a purer, stronger form of energy. It was this refined energy that allowed one to unleash strength fivefold greater than usual. When the technique ended and the essence, qi, and spirit were exhausted, the blood qi quickly reverted to normal. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Yet each time his blood qi was refined through the process, a trace of that purity remained within the user, gradually elevating one’s overall blood qi quality. Normally, this improvement would be negligible after one use of the Boiling Blood Secret Art. But when he enhanced it with Origin Force in his consciousness space, he had performed the art continuously, and was restoring himself after every cycle and activating it again. He had lost count of how many times it occurred, but it must have been tens of thousands, or perhaps even a hundred thousand repetitions. Each minuscule refinement of blood qi accumulated over time, resulting in an astonishing overall transformation.
"I can feel it... Another 5 units of Origin Force or so, and my blood qi will undergo another qualitative change. This truly is..." Lin Zheyu muttered as he carefully felt the strength of his refined blood qi. A complicated expression crossed his face. It was a mix of surprise, delight, helpless amusement, and the lingering pain brought on by spiritual exhaustion.
